SA Firefighter
General Discussion => Country Fire Service => Topic started by: rescue5271 on November 20, 2005, 06:33:42 AM
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I was having some lighthearted reading of the new act and I could not see that NEW MEMBERS MUST HAVE A POLICE CHECK??? so does this mean they dont have to?? Or did someone forget to add it into the ACT?? If its a mistake then it needs to be fixed at once,I could see that there will be some brigades/groups that will read the new act and will just sign people up with out doing the checks. If you have not read the new act it is worthwhile to flick through it. There is a describtion of what officers at group and brigade do but there is no section on what a firefighter does???
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It sounds like they forgot to add all new members must have a police check rescue527 otherwise if that wasnt compulsury then anyone who has been booked for criminal offences such as drink driving, robbery, illegal growing of cannabis plants and so on can easily walk in to a CFS station sign up and off to level 1 training
I can tell you this Kalangadoo brigade doesnt let people in that easily they have to go through a Police Check then pass level 1
Anyway i havent even gotten the chance to read the new act but im hoping to try and locate it because my 10 years as a member with the CFS is coming up on the 4th of December :-)
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From what I recall of the old act, there was no specified powers for a firefighter, as they are empowered to do nearly everything an 'officer' can do, bar instigating the lighting of a backburn.
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pretty sure we had the powers to do anything we deemed necessary to fulfill our duties... except light a backburn, unless under an officers request/supervision....
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The section of the Act that covered powers of an officer then when on to state that in the absence of an officer then the firefighter in charge may exercise all of these powers with the exception of lighting a fire to control of fire. Not quite the same as stating powers of a firie :-)
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btw: i dont think it was ever a part of the act/regs that you required a police check.... it says fill out the correct memberhip forms, which happen to include a police check... but thats just the way i read it... (fuzzy was a while ago)